Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

In celebration of Rotary International's 110 years of accomplishments around the world two Mayoral receptions were held recently. The Mayor of Torfaen, Cllr Mandy Owen, hosted a reception for the Presidents of her four local Rotary Clubs – Cwmbran; Cwmbran Vale; Henllys and Pontypool to recognise their club members' outstanding contribution to the area. Later in the day, it was the turn of the Right Worshipful Mayor the Mayor of Newport, Cllr Matthew Evans, to ask the Presidents of the Rotary Clubs of Caerleon; Newport; Newport St. Woolos and Newport Uskmouth to pass on his thanks to their members for their service to the community by hosting afternoon tea in the Mayor's Parlour. The Rotary Presidents were accompanied by the District Governor of Rotary in Southern Wales, Sandra Townsend, Past District Governor Michael Rye and Assistant Governor for the Newport and Torfaen Area Maggie Hughes. If you would like to know more about Rotary please contact Rtn. Ken Williams t...

Carmarthen Bridge will be closed on Sunday for minor maintenance repairs. The bridge will be closed from a point 120 metres north of its junction with Towy Roundabout for a total distance of 70 metres in a northerly direction from 8am until 6pm for work on the bridge joints. The alternative route for south bound traffic will be via A4242 Coracle Way, A40 Pont Lesneven, A40 Pont Pensarn and A484 Heol Llangynnwr. Vice Versa for north bound traffic. The one-way traffic order - Parade Road and St Peters Street - will be temporarily suspended for the duration of the closure, to allow for two-way working along Parade Road. Old Station Road junction with Castle Hill, that’s southbound traffic only - will be closed for the duration of the closure. Eastbound traffic along Old Station Road will be unaffected.

Llantwit Major Rotarian Donald Carsley has received a special award at the House of Lords for his commitment to Rotary and community work. A former detective, Mr Carsley was among 12 previously unsung Rotarian heroes who were honoured by some of Britain’s top politicians in Whitehall. Presenting the Rotary Great Britain and Ireland (RGBI) Champions of Change Awards, was host for the evening the Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, the Rt Hon Lord Wallace of Tankerness. He described Rotary as “a great movement” and said he had been very humbled to see the achievements of the 12 Awardees. Nominations for the awards were in two categories — domestic and international — and invited from across RGBI’s 29 Districts, which takes in 1,800 clubs and 50,000 members. Awardees projects ranged from improving education facilities in Kenya and Uganda and raising awareness of child slavery to organising disability sports events in Wales and peace events in Scotland and Jersey. Another project in I...

Aberystwyth University students have turned out in record numbers to submit nominations for the fourth annual Student Led Teaching Awards. The Awards, coordinated by Aberystwyth University Students’ Union and supported by the University, invite students to recognise the contribution of fellow student representatives and University staff by nominating individuals or departments for one of ten awards. At close of nominations, at 5pm on Friday 20th March, a total of 1,113 nominations were received. Commenting on the success of the Awards, Grace Burton, Education Officer at the Students’ Union, said: “We at the Students’ Union have been overwhelmed by the fantastic response to this year’s Awards. It’s heartwarming to see students recognising the excellent staff who make the time students spend with us at Aberystwyth great. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write a nomination; I’m really looking forward to reading them all. “The standard this year has been exceptionally high and...

It’s a double whammy for the  Dylan Thomas Boathouse tea rooms! The iconic landmark building has not only been named in the top ten best places in the UK and Ireland for afternoon tea but also awarded a Five Star rating for its food hygiene. It comes after a recent survey by travel company, GoEuro revealed the Boathouse, owned by Carmarthenshire Council, ticked all the right boxes for the quality of their afternoon tea spread. Home-made bara-brith, scones with clotted cream and jam and traditional Welsh cakes make a high tea not to be missed. The famous hotspot was also credited for its unique charm, interesting history and stunning location. The report says: “Laugharne, home of Dylan Thomas for the later part of his life, lies on the Welsh coast. The Dylan Thomas Boathouse combines this poetic heritage and the beautiful coastal setting. Often patronised by members of Thomas’s family, you never know who you might run into while taking afternoon tea.” The council’s executive boar...

A new £1million bridge has been completed near the village of Rhandirmwyn in the Tywi Valley. It replaces the old Galltybere Bridge, which had been subject to a three tonne weight restriction, and is a lifeline for the local community. The new two span bridge is 45 metres in length and has been built downstream of the Galltybere Bridge, which dates back to approximately 1925 and was the only means of access for a number of properties. The construction works were carried out on behalf of the council by TRJ (Betws) Limited. The project was made possible thanks to funding made available through the Local Government Borrowing Initiative (LGBI). Executive Board Member for Technical Services Cllr Colin Evans said: “The new bridge can accommodate traffic up to 40 tonnes which is vital for rural communities such as this. “This new bridge has been needed for some time and fortunately with the aid of LGBI funding it has now been made possible.” Local authorities were able draw down a total of ...

Llanelli’s North Dock played host to dozens of eclipse enthusiasts all wanting to catch a glimpse of the rare phenomenon. One of those was Welsh Office Minister Baroness Randerson who managed to capture the moment whilst visiting the Discovery Centre and Millennium Coastal Park as part of National Tourism Week March 14-22, also Carmarthenshire tourism month. The Baroness was given a tour of the centre before heading down the coastal path to experience first hand the breathtaking views and attractions the park has to offer. Thousands of visitors a year are now making their way to the breathtaking Millennium Coastal Park. Everyone who comes to the award-winning park leaves with a lasting memory of its scale and beauty. The council’s countryside and parks manager, Rory Dickinson said: “The baroness seemed very impressed with what the Discovery Centre and Millennium Coastal Park has to offer. She even mentioned bringing her family here for a day out.” In just over 10 years, the 22 kilo...

Club president Hywel Bassett was in the chair at the weekly meeting of Llanelli Rotary Club held at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. Mr Bassett said he was delighted to report Rotarian Brian Mansel-Thomas was home from hospital. Get well soon wishes were sent from the club. Members were told that the Llanelli club’s representatives would be taking part in the District Final of the Rotary Young Musician of the Year competition in Cowbridge. The instrumental section winner of the Llanelli competition was 16-year-old guitarist Cai Charles from Ysgol Gyfun Y Strade. The vocalist winner of the Llanelli competition was 15-year-old Calley Lewis-Meredith, of Coedcae School. The Rotary meeting on Wednesday, March 25, will feature Scarlets rugby head coach Wayne Pivac as guest speaker. Other diary dates: Friday, April 3 No meeting. Good Friday. Tuesday, April 7 Club Council. Wednesday, April 8 Committee structure meeting. Friday, April 17, Rotary Boxing Night in association with Trostre Amate...

The latest 'On Song' column (about the choral scene in and around Llanelli) from the Llanelli Star - The ladies of Côr Curiad are getting very excited about their special anniversary concert with Paul Potts on Saturday, April 25. The concert also features Eisteddfod winning Burry Port Town Band and will be hosted by Swansea Sound Radio Presenter Kevin Johns MBE. The concert will be in aid of Calon Plus, the Cardiac rehabilitation support service at Prince Philip Hospital and will be held at the Selwyn Samuel Centre. Choir Chair Andrea Matthews said: “The choir adopts a different charity each year to benefit from our fundraising efforts. For our Anniversary Year the ladies have chosen Calon Plus as our charity as we want local people to benefit from our efforts. The ladies have already been busy fundraising. We have had a sponsored walk from Llanelli to Burry Port, fundraising social evenings and a Fashion Show and Craft Fayre at the Diplomat Hotel. The choristers also did ...

Scientists at Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) have proved that growing lupins provides a viable alternative source of soya-grade protein for animal and fish feeds in the UK. This is the conclusion of the three year LUKAA research project (Lupins in UK Agriculture and Aquaculture) funded by 10 industry partners and co-funded by Innovate UK and the BBSRC. Following newly published results from the project, farmers will be advised that home-grown lupins have the potential to provide soya-grade protein. The potential for home-grown lupins to replace imported soya in livestock, poultry and aquaculture concentrate feeds has been made clear through the three year project which has revealed that livestock, poultry and fish given rations containing lupins perform equally well and in some cases better than those fed rations of comparable quality containing soya. Professor Nigel Scollan, Waitrose Chair of Sustainable Agriculture a...

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post. Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. www.philevans.co.uk --------------------- Nobody loves a good party or festival more than the Welsh. Well, apart from the Irish, who, famously, like to party at funerals. The Scots have a reputation for partying hard, as do the Cockneys, who enjoy a knees-up. And the Mexicans, Italians and Spanish love a religious festival, complete with parades, costumes and music. So, let me start again. If the rain stays off and there’s a plentiful supply of portable loos, the whole world enjoys a festival. As well as today’s big festivals, like Glastonbury and Reading, there are hundreds more all over Britain every year, some having their origins in medieval times, when they attracted huge crowds on the village green. There was always a long queue at the wolf-burger stand! Villagers would join the Lord and Lady of the Manor to celebrat...

People can find out information on voting and polling stations at an event taking place in Llanelli at the end of this month. Carmarthenshire County Council’s Electoral Services Manager Amanda Bebb will be at The Hub  in Stepney Street all day on Monday, March 30. She can check if people are registered to vote in the next parliamentary election on May 7. If they are not, Amanda can register them. People can also apply to have a postal vote, discuss any support they may need, or ask any questions about their local polling station. Amanda said: “I hope people take the opportunity to come along, I am happy to discuss any queries regarding elections or the voting process. “We encourage everyone to use their vote, so we need to ensure as many people as possible are registered, and that they have all the information they need to make choices about their preferred method of voting.”

Latest special offers from the Jenkins Bakery - WEEK COMMENCING March 16, 2015 3 Medium Corned Beef £1.65 2 Large Corned Beef Pasties £1.95 4 Medium Sausage Rolls £1.80 2 Custard Slices £1.60 Sandwich Of The Week, Salmon and Cucumber £2.10 Rustic Baguette Of The Week, Chicken and Bacon £2.40 Filled Softie Of The Week, Turkey and Stuffing £2.20 Website - http://jenkinsbakery.co.uk/